Are you captain of your fate, master of your destiny? Are you a victim of your hyphen? Way back in September, The New York Times had on the front page of its Arts section, an article entitled, “Book Aims to Recast the Native Narrative: A Finnish historian argues against the American trope of the ‘doomed […]
State of New York State History
The Curse of Canaan: Slavery in Early African American Biblical Scholarship
The current issue of Biblical Interpretation includes the article “The Blessing of Ham: Genesis 9:1 in Early African American Biblical Scholarship” by Jeremy Schipper, University of Toronto. The use of the Bible on both sides of the slavery debate leading up to the Civil War is well known. Since this article appears in a biblical […]
Civil War Update: The Battle of Gettysburg 2022 Elections
In the battle between Donald Trump and the Constitution, the 2022 elections may be considered the Battle of Gettysburg. The current Civil War is being fought differently than the last one. That Civil War was fought at National Park Service sites. This one is being fought through the voting at all levels and the occasional […]
King Tut Centennial (November 4) and American Indians
On November 4, 1922, the world of Egyptology changed forever. On that date Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, the boy-king. Egyptology hasn’t been the same since. The discovery of an intact tomb from the 14tth century BCE has provided splendors which continue to dazzle the general public to this very day. Tours […]
The Five Levels of Columbus
Another Columbus Day has come and gone. This latest one was quieter than some previous ones. It is as if each side in the culture wars has staked out its turf and for the moment is content to let things ride. Columbus may be considered a five-stratum tel. Tell is an archaeological term. It refers […]
Immigrant Achievements
On October 10, 2022, the Lower Manhattan Historical Association (LMHA) resumed its annual in-person “Alexander Hamilton Immigrant Achievement Awards Ceremony” after the COVID hiatus. The ceremony was held at Trinity Commons, the new facility of Trinity Church in Manhattan located on a bridge walkway from Church. It provides a spectacular view the Trinity Church and […]
David McCullough (1933-2022): No R.I.P. – The Culture Wars Continue
Historian David McCullough’s death in August made the front page of The New York Times. For how many historians past or still living can one make or will one be able to make that claim? The title reads “Spellbinding Author Who Took His Audience to 1776 and Back.” The obituary lauded his achievements as a […]
Indians in the News: Recognize, Erase, Heal, Liberate
The many facets of the relationships between Indians and Americans were on full display recently here in New York except for actual violence. The events below occurring within a short period of time highlight the pitfalls, challenges, hopes, and fears facing our peoples. The story is on ongoing one with an unknown end. Indeed, part […]
Sense of Place versus the Ivory Tower: The American Revolution 250th
There are multiple ways through which one can approach the American Revolution. In this blog. I wish to address the sense of place in contrast to the ivory tower. The sense of place approach draws on the fact that we are physical beings with a sense of touch. Being connected to the land, a community, […]
The Meanings of Independence: A Conference by the American Philosophical Society
This review of the state of the American Revolution 250th continues with a free conference held by the David Center for the American Revolution at the American Philosophical Society. The conference aims to be unlike a traditional scholarly conference. Instead of scholars presenting scholarly papers to a scholarly audience, we hope to bring together public […]